A Friend I've Loved for a Long Time - Chapter 30

“What are you two chatting about in here? You’ve been gone so long.” Jiang Yan’an, getting impatient waiting in the dining area, walked straight into the kitchen to hurry them along.

“Nothing,” Zhu Qingmeng said, stepping toward her. Guessing An’an wouldn’t have come to rush them for no reason, she asked, “What is it?”

“I just finished discussing it with Zhizhi—we’re going to the Old Alleys in the east city,” Jiang Yan’an said, linking arms with Zhu Qingmeng. She then looked at Yu Mingxia. “Mingxia, you’ll come too, right?”

“Okay.” Yu Mingxia noted that Jiang Yan’an seemed very satisfied with her; it was clear she was creating opportunities for them. At this thought, Mingxia felt a surge of gratitude toward her.

The group returned to the dining area. Yun Zhi was replying to a message and looked up as they entered.

Jiang Yan’an announced, “Mingxia agreed. Let’s go! Heading to the Old Alleys now.”

Yun Zhi gave an affirmative hum and went back to her room to grab her camera.

Zhu Qingmeng had driven her car today, so the task of driving fell to her. Jiang Yan’an sat in the passenger seat, while Yun Zhi and Yu Mingxia sat in the back. The music playing in the car and the cool air conditioning made for a perfect environment for a nap. Yun Zhi looked out at the retreating scenery, while Yu Mingxia watched her profile from the side. Whenever Yun Zhi seemed to notice, Mingxia would timely turn away.

“Didn’t you say before that you were interested in the Old Alleys?” Yun Zhi recalled the “Poke” incident and remembered Yu Mingxia mentioning it.

“Mm, yes,” Yu Mingxia replied.

“I heard the paths there are quite winding. Have you been there before? Do you know the way?” Jiang Yan’an suddenly turned around to ask Yun Zhi.

Yun Zhi paused for a second before saying, “I’ve never been there.”

“But didn’t you say before…” Jiang Yan’an stopped mid-sentence as a realization hit her. She gritted her teeth. “Nan Qiao, that bastard.”

Yu Mingxia looked at Yun Zhi and saw that her expression remained normal.

“She hasn’t been bothering you lately, has she? Don’t worry, I’ve already cursed her out for you. Don’t be upset.”

Before Yun Zhi could answer, Zhu Qingmeng let out a laugh and said to Yun Zhi, “She was so furious that day; she was lying in her hospital bed and couldn’t even sleep from anger.”

Yun Zhi lowered her head and smiled faintly. She didn’t say much, but as she turned her head, she met Yu Mingxia’s concerned gaze. Knowing Mingxia could guess the situation, she simply said, “I’m fine.”

After a few brief mentions of Nan Qiao, Jiang Yan’an noticed Yun Zhi didn’t want to discuss it further and dropped the subject, moving on to other topics.

The drive to the Old Alleys took an hour. Perhaps because she had slept late the night before, or because the soft music was so hypnotic, Yun Zhi began to feel drowsy. Yu Mingxia noticed her sleepiness and the way her head was swaying. She moved a bit closer. When Yun Zhi’s head tilted toward her, Mingxia timely offered her shoulder, ensuring her head wouldn’t fall into empty space.

Jiang Yan’an saw Yu Mingxia’s movement in the rearview mirror. Noticing Yun Zhi had fallen asleep, she stopped talking and turned the music down. When her eyes met Yu Mingxia’s in the mirror, she saw Mingxia mouth two words:

“Thank you.”

Jiang Yan’an seemed to realize something and looked at Zhu Qingmeng. Qingmeng simply made a “shh” gesture. An’an wasn’t sure if Qingmeng was telling her to be quiet or to stop meddling.

The car stopped at a red light. Yu Mingxia looked down at Yun Zhi, who was sleeping lightly against her shoulder. She must be exhausted from all the work lately. A flicker of heartache appeared in her eyes, which Jiang Yan’an caught in the mirror. Surprised, An’an found herself unsure of what to do next.

The light turned green and the car started again. In that moment, a loud phone ringtone broke the silence.

Yun Zhi was jolted awake. Opening her eyes, she realized she was leaning against Yu Mingxia’s shoulder. There was a faint scent of roses on Mingxia, which was very comforting. Just as Yu Mingxia thought she would pull away, Yun Zhi simply reached into her bag for her phone, glanced at the screen, and hung up. Then, she closed her eyes again and leaned back into Mingxia.

“Mingxia, you smell so good,” she murmured. “It’s so comfortable to sleep next to you.”

While she was napping, the scent had made her feel like she was in a rose garden. It was subtle but very pleasant—just as comforting as the hug on the night she was being soothed. She had been closer to her the previous night, but because of the suddenness and the awkwardness, she hadn’t thought of it then.

“Then sleep a bit longer,” Yu Mingxia said softly, reaching out to gently touch her cheek and help her adjust her position. “I’ll wake you when we arrive.”

Yu Mingxia’s voice was incredibly gentle and had a hypnotic quality. However, only a few seconds after Yun Zhi closed her eyes, the phone rang again. She frowned, her expression turning into one of annoyance at having her sleep interrupted twice.

She opened her phone and saw the same unknown number. She had two numbers: one for work and a private one. Calls to her private number were usually from family, friends, or telemarketers. Lately, for some reason, she’d been getting a barrage of unknown calls.

She took a deep breath, answered, and waited for the other end to speak.

“Waaaah, Sister! You finally answered!”

Yun Zhi was stunned. She hadn’t expected it to be Yun Xiangxiang. Remembering her sister had borrowed a teammate’s phone to call her once to remind her to vote, she guessed the purpose of this call was the same.

“Yun Little Flower, you just woke me up,” Yun Zhi stated flatly. The implication was that getting a vote this time wouldn’t be easy.

The line went quiet for a few seconds before she heard Yun Xiangxiang mutter, “Can we edit this part out?”

Yun Zhi then realized her sister was filming a show. Although she hadn’t been following it in real-time, she knew that talent shows usually featured a segment where contestants called their families.

Zhu Qingmeng had turned off the car music the moment the call was connected. The two sisters chatted for a bit before Yun Zhi hung up. Now, she was wide awake.

“Now the whole country knows your sister’s nickname,” Jiang Yan’an joked.

“Even though it’s my fault, I still want to state for the record that it’s not a nickname,” Yun Zhi said seriously. “It’s a name I spent a long time thinking about.”

Jiang Yan’an burst out laughing and looked at Yu Mingxia. “Mingxia, did you know she has a younger sister? When Yun Zhi was in elementary school, she looked through a book of poems to find a name for her. She saw the line ‘Clouds bring to mind her clothes, flowers her face,’ thought it was great, and named her sister Little Flower (Xiao Hua).”

Yu Mingxia couldn’t help but chuckle as well, casting a glance at the silent Yun Zhi.

Yun Zhi, who hadn’t minded the story before, suddenly felt a bit embarrassed under Mingxia’s gaze. “I really thought it was a good name back then! My parents were going to name me ‘Yun Zhile’ (Cloud Happiness); compared to that, I think the name I picked is much better.”

Yu Mingxia’s smile widened as she remembered Yun Zhi telling her before how good she was to her sister.

For some reason, while she could argue back when Jiang Yan’an teased her, she felt self-conscious when Yu Mingxia laughed. She recalled telling Mingxia how great a sister she was. Seeing her pursed-lip smile, Yun Zhi gave her a light nudge. “Don’t you laugh too.”

Yu Mingxia looked beautiful when she smiled; her eyes were gentle and seemed to hold only Yun Zhi.

“Oh, Zhizhi, look at you acting spoiled,” Jiang Yan’an teased. She then mimicked Yun Zhi’s voice to Zhu Qingmeng: “Don’t you laugh too~”

“Of course, baby,” Zhu Qingmeng replied with a light laugh.

Yun Zhi, hearing the two of them in cahoots: “…”

Yu Mingxia didn’t say anything, but she watched Yun Zhi with a smile that was even broader than before.

“What are you laughing at? She’s teasing both of us. No more laughing,” Yun Zhi said, trying to look serious.

As if intimidated by her expression, Yu Mingxia obediently nodded and suppressed her smile. Seeing this, Jiang Yan’an teased, “My god, Yu Mingxia, you’re definitely going to be henpecked (wife-controlled) in the future.”

Zhu Qingmeng chimed in, “Is being henpecked a bad thing?”

Yun Zhi: “…” Why does it feel like these two are being particularly annoying today?

She looked at Yu Mingxia, only to meet her cautious gaze. she heard her ask: “Am I allowed to laugh?”

Yun Zhi: “…” She felt she really shouldn’t let Yu Mingxia hang around An’an and Qingmeng. Such a gentle, honest person was now joining in on their nonsense.

“An’an, can you be quiet for a bit?” Yun Zhi interrupted their conversation.

Jiang Yan’an pouted and retorted, “That’s weird. I said Yu Mingxia would be henpecked in the future; what does that have to do with you, Zhizhi? Why are you blushing?”

Yun Zhi blinked. “…”

Taken in isolation, that sentence had nothing to do with her. But in context? It had everything to do with her. Looking at Yu Mingxia, she didn’t seem to have any emotional reaction to the joke at all.

Yun Zhi fell silent. Then, Yu Mingxia leaned in and whispered, “Don’t be mad. This is your territory; it’s only right that I listen to you.” Then she added, “Didn’t you say so yourself? As long as we don’t misunderstand each other, it’s fine.”

For some reason, Yun Zhi had a faint feeling of having dug her own grave. However, she didn’t dislike the joke—after all, both she and Yu Mingxia knew the truth of their situation.

In their chatter, they soon arrived at the Old Alleys. Zhu Qingmeng parked, and they got out. The alleys had a century of history, with stone monuments along the street marking the spots where famous figures had stayed. However, there were many turn-offs; if you weren’t familiar with the area, it was easy to go in circles. Once they finally exited the maze of alleys, they reached a long gallery overlooking a lotus pond. In August, the lotus flowers were in full bloom.

After asking for directions several times, they finally made it to the gallery. Yun Zhi was busy taking photos, while Yu Mingxia stood quietly behind her. Jiang Yan’an tugged at Mingxia’s sleeve and signaled for her to step back a few paces.

Yu Mingxia followed. she heard Jiang Yan’an say, “Zhizhi really spoils her sister. Xiangxiang was young before and couldn’t always distinguish good from bad. If you ever run into her, please be patient with her.”

“Be patient” was essentially a request for her to be nice to Yun Xiangxiang. As for “not distinguishing good from bad,” Yu Mingxia understood perfectly—she was talking about Nan Qiao.

“Thank you,” Yu Mingxia replied.

Jiang Yan’an breathed a sigh of relief. Wanting a more definitive answer, she asked in a low voice, “What are your thoughts? Do you like our Zhizhi?”

Yu Mingxia didn’t answer immediately. She was wondering if Jiang Yan’an would tell Yun Zhi if she said yes. Right now, it was just a guess; it could be seen as ambiguity. But if she answered directly, it would mean laying her cards on the table. She couldn’t guarantee An’an wouldn’t tell Yun Zhi, and she didn’t know what Yun Zhi would do if she found out. She didn’t dare to gamble.

“An’an,” Zhu Qingmeng called helplessly. “Let them get along on their own terms.”

Jiang Yan’an pouted.

“What are you three whispering about?” Yun Zhi finished her photos and walked over.

“I’m not interested in lotuses. Let Mingxia accompany you. I’m going on a date with Mengmeng. Bye!” Jiang Yan’an finished and ran off with Zhu Qingmeng before Yun Zhi could even respond.

“Don’t mind her. An’an is just lively; she means no harm.” Since An’an was her friend, her teasing was just a bit of a nuisance, but Yun Zhi wouldn’t actually blame her.

“It’s fine,” Yu Mingxia said with a gentle smile. Thinking of An’an’s words, she asked, “I think I heard your sister say she’ll be on holiday soon? Is the competition over?”

“No, the third public performance is finished, so they’re letting them relax a bit.” Yu Mingxia had been right beside her during the call, so she’d heard part of the conversation. Yun Zhi answered as she photographed the lotuses. After checking a few shots, she added casually, “If you’re free later, how about I bring my sister along and we have a meal together? She’ll probably really like you.”

Yun Zhi felt it was only natural to introduce Mingxia to her sister, just as her other close friends had met her.

“I’ll be free,” Yu Mingxia replied. “But why are you so sure she’ll like me?”

“Because I like you very much,” Yun Zhi smiled. “So she’ll like you too. She’s been my little shadow since she was a child.”

Yu Mingxia’s heart skipped a beat at the words “I like you very much,” before she realized Yun Zhi meant the liking between friends. As for being a “shadow,” there was an unmistakable doting tone in Yun Zhi’s voice when she mentioned her sister.

Yun Zhi’s hand on the camera paused. Looking up, she saw Yu Mingxia looking thoughtful. She added, “As a best friend.”

She was explaining that the “liking” she mentioned was the platonic kind. Yu Mingxia bit her lip. “I understand.”

Yun Zhi looked away and spotted a little girl carrying a flower basket at the end of the gallery. She walked toward her. “Little girl, how much for a lotus flower?”

“Sister, real lotuses aren’t allowed to be sold here. These are artificial. Twenty for a bunch of lotuses, and ten for other flowers,” the girl replied. The basket contained various flowers—roses, daisies, baby’s breath—and there were drops of water on the petals, making them look very fresh.

Yun Zhi smiled. she thought the girl was very honest and the price was fair, so she bought a bunch of artificial lotuses. The girl handed them over, then noticed Yu Mingxia standing behind her. She reached out and tugged at Yun Zhi’s sleeve. “Sister, aren’t you going to buy some roses for your girlfriend?”

Both women froze at the question. Yun Zhi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It was one thing for Zhu Qingmeng and An’an to joke, but she didn’t expect a child she’d just met to say the same. She leaned down to look the girl in the eye. “Little girl, why do you think she’s my girlfriend?”

Yun Zhi figured it might just be a sales tactic, but she wanted to hear the answer. The girl, about eleven or twelve, had an innocent smile and a childish voice. “I have two moms. The way my Big Mom looks at my Little Mom is exactly the same as the way this sister looks at you.”

Yun Zhi chuckled. She didn’t quite believe the girl, but as she turned toward Yu Mingxia, she saw that Mingxia looked slightly stunned. Not wanting to delay the girl’s sales, she bought two bunches of roses as well.

Once the girl left, Yun Zhi took two steps back to Mingxia’s side, holding the roses and lotuses out to her. “So, how were you looking at me just now?”

Yu Mingxia took the flowers, looking down at the petals. “With my eyes?”

Yun Zhi tilted her head. “?”

Yu Mingxia laughed and lightly tapped Yun Zhi’s forehead with a rose. Feeling the dampness of the petals, Yun Zhi muttered, “Why are you using the flowers I gave you to bully me?”

Just as she spoke, she felt a warmth on her forehead. She looked up and met Yu Mingxia’s serious gaze; she was using a tissue to gently wipe the spot where the rose had touched. She said with a smile, “All clean.”

Yun Zhi dazed. Yu Mingxia folded the tissue and threw it into a nearby trash can. Yun Zhi snapped out of it, having forgotten her previous train of thought. she took a deep breath. “Hold the flowers and stand over there. I’ll take a photo of you.” Her tone was slightly commanding, but Yu Mingxia loved it when she spoke that way.

After taking photos, the two went to a snack shop. When they emerged, the sky had begun to darken. Yun Zhi checked her watch; it was only 3:00 PM. Looking up, she saw the previously clear sky was now filled with dark clouds. It was going to rain.

To exit the Old Alleys, they had to cross the long gallery again. Yun Zhi tried to call Jiang Yan’an twice, but the calls wouldn’t connect. Before they could reach the end of the gallery, a torrential downpour began.

Unluckily, they were trapped by the rain. Luckily, they were trapped under the cover of the gallery. Many people around them were complaining about being stuck. Yun Zhi, however, stayed calm; the lotus pond in the heavy rain had a different kind of beauty—misty and vibrant. She snapped a few photos with her camera.

“Let’s wait here a bit. Someone selling umbrellas will surely come by,” Yun Zhi said, sitting on a bench in the gallery. Seeing Yu Mingxia still standing, she tugged at her sleeve. “Sit.”

Yun Zhi looked through her camera roll and showed Mingxia the photos she’d just taken. “I’ve noticed you’re really photogenic. You look good no matter how I shoot you.”

Yu Mingxia looked at the screen, then at Yun Zhi’s eyelashes. she said softly, “Mm, you’ve praised me for that once before.”

“Beautiful people should be praised often; it’s not a conflict,” Yun Zhi laughed.

The previously sweltering weather had cooled significantly due to the rain, and the air held the faint scent of damp earth.

“I remember when I was in my senior year of high school, my math teacher loved to keep me after class. I was always one of the last people to leave. My friends had their own things to do then, so I mostly went home alone,” Yun Zhi paused before continuing. “It rained a lot during that period. I’d either forget my umbrella, or someone would steal it if I brought one. I was so unlucky.” Yun Zhi gritted her teeth at the memory.

Yu Mingxia listened quietly. When she went silent, Mingxia asked, “Did you ever find the person who stole your umbrella?”

Yun Zhi nodded, gripping her camera. “I did. That person had someone else secretly throw my umbrella away.” She then lifted her arm and pointed to her wrist. “That person was terrible; they even pushed me. My wrist was injured for a long time, and my camera was smashed. I was so sad then. If it weren’t for…”

Yun Zhi stopped mid-sentence and didn’t continue. The rain continued to pitter-patter. Perhaps due to a sense of trust, Yun Zhi shared many stories of her past—things she hadn’t proactively mentioned to anyone in years.

Yu Mingxia bit her lip. Thinking of the Yun Zhi of that period made her heart ache. She said softly, “They must have had bad karma eventually.”

Yun Zhi’s eyes widened, not because of the comment, but because: “You guessed right! Not long after, she injured her own hand. I was secretly happy for a long time.” After a laugh, she whispered, “Do I sound like a bad person for laughing?”

“No, she deserved it,” Yu Mingxia comforted her. Yun Zhi knew she would say that. She always felt relaxed around Yu Mingxia; as a friend, Mingxia was perfect—always siding with her unconditionally.

“Ahem, but I was quite lucky back then. Even though I was often kept after school and it would rain when I had no umbrella, there were always ‘public umbrellas’ in the first-floor lobby. Sometimes someone would just be returning one, so I didn’t have to walk home in the rain.”

Back in school, even though her family was well-off, Yun Zhi didn’t like being treated specially. She didn’t even want someone to pick her up or drop her off. After hearing her request, her parents had specifically instructed the school. This led to her math teacher specifically not giving her special treatment, which meant she was frequently kept after class.

After Yun Zhi finished speaking, there was a long silence from Yu Mingxia. she wondered what she was thinking.

After a while, Yu Mingxia finally replied with a smile: “You really were lucky.”

The rain showed no sign of stopping, and there was still no reply from Jiang Yan’an. They had no choice but to keep waiting. Fortunately, Yu Mingxia was an excellent listener, and Yun Zhi prattled on about many high school stories.

Finally, Yun Zhi realized she had been the only one talking. “Mingxia, did you ever receive a modeling request from me in high school?” Yun Zhi suddenly remembered looking through her old albums.

“No,” Yu Mingxia replied gently.

Yun Zhi frowned slightly. She had assumed Mingxia just wasn’t interested or was too shy. Could it be like An’an said? Did Nan Qiao have a grudge against Yu Mingxia?

“Did you know Nan Qiao in high school?”

As she asked the question, Yun Zhi realized the scale in her heart had already tilted; it no longer automatically favored Nan Qiao. This was the first time she had proactively mentioned Nan Qiao’s name in front of Mingxia.

She had already known that the person Yun Zhi had been protecting was Nan Qiao.